Watch the moment the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister dodged Camilla Tominey’s question seven times asking whether Labour supports Donald Trump’s action in Venezuela.
Joining the GB News star, Darren Jones, who also serves as MP for Bristol North West, appeared to repeatedly refuse to answer the question Camilla was putting to him.
On Saturday, the US President conducted a series of airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which he hailed as a “brilliant operation”.
The South American President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were then taken to New York by American officials to face a number of drug charges.
However, Sir Keir refused to condemn the actions, just as a number of world leaders did, while appearing to refuse to clarify whether he supported Mr Trump’s controversial action against the Venezuelan President, whose leadership was scattered with a litany of human rights violations.
Discussing the matter, Camilla asked the Prime Minister’s right-hand man: “Presumably you’re 100 per cent backing Trump on this, are you, Darren Jones?”
But Mr Jones appeared to bat away the question, answering: “So we’ve always agreed that President Maduro was an illegitimate president.
“The UK Government sanctioned him. I don’t think anybody is going to be sad about President Maduro no longer being in office in Venezuela, that’s for sure.”
The GB News host refused to let up on Darren Jones this morning
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GB NEWS
Camilla was not yet happy with his answer, repeating: “But you back Trump 100 per cent, do you?”
“Well, the UK was not involved in any way with this,” the Labour Minister said, seemingly starting to relay Sir Keir’s Saturday statement.
“You must have a position on our closest ally. Do you back Trump 100 per cent or not?” Camilla questioned a third time.
But Mr Jones simply started to repeat his answer, saying the UK was not involved, which the GB News presenter corrected by saying that the UK was not consulted.
Sir Keir has not yet explicitly condemned or expressed support for the President’s actions
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PA
“What does that say about the special relationship with the UK?” Camilla mused.
“I think it’s totally fine. This was a independent action of the United States of America,” the Chief Secretary responded.
He continued: “Congress itself wasn’t informed, let alone allies or third countries, because it was a individual action of the United States administration.
“If the UK were involved operationally, then of course I would expect to be part of that conversation, naturally. But we were not involved in any way.”
“But you must have an opinion,” Camilla insisted, adding: “Finally, Darren Jones, you must have an opinion as to whether Donald Trump has acted in accordance with international law and correctly here.
“Do you back President Trump on this or not? Yes or no?”
When Mr Jones began to argue it was a question for the US, Camilla slapped him down, responding: “It’s a question to you.
“That’s my question to you. Darren Jones, you’re the Prime Minister’s right hand man. Do you back what Donald Trump has done. Yes or no?”
“Donald Trump is the President of the United States of America. It is for him set out the legal basis and his decisions for the operations.
“I’m asking if you support it. Darren Jones I’m asking you, as the Prime Minister’s right hand man, whether you support what Donald Trump has done to Maduro in Venezuela, yes or no?”
But the duo continued to lock horns on whether Mr Jones had actually answered the question, with Camilla giving it one last go.
She said: “I’m sorry. I’m going to ask you one more time, Darren Jones, because I don’t find that a credible answer.
“It’s perfectly legitimate for me to ask you whether you support our main ally, the US and the US President Trump, with whom Keir Starmer apparently has a close personal relationship, let alone the special relationship [between the two nations].
“I’m merely asking you a simple question. We’ve all seen how this played out over the weekend. We can all form an opinion about it in this studio or beyond.
“What is your opinion? Does the Labour Government support President Trump in what he has done in Venezuela? Yes or no?”
Mr Jones simply reiterated the British Government does not recognise the presidency of Maduro and mentioned the sanctions placed on the dictator.
He further claimed that it was not for the British “to provide a running commentary on the actions of other countries”.
“It’s just a yes or no question, but I don’t think you’re willing to answer it, so we may as well leave it there,” Camilla curtly concluded.